Codes and Conventions Vodcast

EG9-13 Music Video Analyses

ACT: Lana Del Rey
TRACK: Blue Jeans
YEAR: 2012
DIRECTOR: Yoann Lemoine
GENRE: Surf Rock
AUDIENCE: 15-30, M+F

VIDEO:

the ending is left unclear

PERFORMANCE, NARRATIVE AND/OR CONCEPT: This video includes some performance footage of Lana Del Rey lip-syncing, however the majority of the video is concept, as the visuals have no connection to the lyrics of the song. A crocodile appears in some shots throughout the video, and it could be seen as a metaphor for her love interest in the video, Bradley Soileau. Soileau has previously appeared in Lana Del Rey's music video for Born To Die, again playing her love interest. The outcome of the video is left unclear, as there is a possible drowning. 

rippled underwater effect

use of reflecting light

FX: The entire music video was shot in black and white, which adds to the moody, quite sad feel of the song. It also changes the time period, as Lana Del Rey is famous for her retro style, and the black and white adds to this effect. There are also some shots throughout the video which have an underwater rippling type effect, adding to the theme of the video. The transitions between shots are normal, however a lot of slow motion is used. Light is also used in an interesting way, as most of the shots of Lana Del Rey and Soileau have light reflected from the rippling water on their faces/bodies.

1950's style hair and makeup

the 1950's style setting

shots of the crocodile

LOCATION/S + MISE-EN-SCENE: The video is set by the poolside of a 1950's home. Lana Del Rey often uses period settings in her videos. Her hair and make-up also have a 1950's style. This is the only location throughout the whole video, and this possibly adds to the effect of the video. A crocodile is also shown in the video, and the shots of Soileau are deliberately placed before and after the shots of the crocodile.

ACT: The White Stripes
TRACK: Seven Nation Army
YEAR: 2003
DIRECTOR: Alex & Martin
GENRE: Garage Rock
AUDIENCE: 15-50, M+F

VIDEO:

marching soldiers

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISUALS + LYRICS: The only link between the lyrics and the visuals we see is a computer generated image of an army of toy soldiers, which relates to the title 'Seven Nation Army'.

shot of the drums

PERFORMANCE STYLE: This video is only performance, and we see no narrative. The performance looks realistic, as the shot of the drums and the guitar are synced so there is no verisimilitude lost. There are no close up shots of the instrument or the artists as the video is one continuous shot.

the electric spark effect

PACE:The pace of the video changes with the music, and the triangle kaleidoscope effect moves more quickly. There is also a electric spark effect which makes the whole shot look more energetic as there is more on screen moving. A flash effect is also used during the guitar solo to create the look of more energy. 

ACT: Kanye West
TRACK: Mercy
YEAR: 2012
DIRECTOR: Nabil Elderkin
GENRE: Hip-Hop
AUDIENCE: 15-25, M+F

VIDEO:

Kanye West appears in the video 3
times in one shot

PERFORMANCE, NARRATIVE AND/OR CONCEPT:  This video is mainly performance, with some elements of concept also. We see all of the artists that feature on the track lip-syncing, and it looks believable. Apart from the Lamborghini, there are no other visuals that relate to the lyrics.

a lamborghini gallardo is the only
prop

LOCATION/S + MISE-EN-SCENE: The music video appears to be shot in a large parking garage, and we see a Lamborghini Gallardo appear in the background several times. The rest of the video is quite minimalistic. Artists such as Kid Cudi and Mr Hudson appear in the music video wearing turban style head pieces, even though they don't feature on the track.    

transition effect at the end of the video

FX: The whole video was shot in black and white, and there are no other effects throughout the video, apart from when we see Kanye West appear three times on the screen, all lip-syncing. There are no transitions in the video as it is all one continuous shot. However, at the end of the song, a Lamborghini drives through the shot, and after it passes all the artists are gone from the shot.

ACT: DJ Fresh VS Diplo
TRACK: Earthquake
YEAR: 2013
DIRECTOR: Jonas & Francois
GENRE: Trap
AUDIENCE: 15-25, M+F

VIDEO:

the 1st shot of the 'superheros'

DJ Fresh appears in the video

PERFORMANCE, NARRATIVE AND/OR CONCEPT: This video is a mixture of narrative and performance. We see 6 "superheros" walking through the streets of New York, while the main vocalist Dominique Young Unique lip syncs throughout the whole video. An animated 'slime monster' is also shown in some shots, but doesn't actually do much. The main artists DJ Fresh and Diplo both appear briefly in the video also. At the end the group of "hero's" overlook New York as they stand in a line.

Diplo also appears briefly

LOCATION/S + MISE-EN-SCENE: The video was shot in New York, USA and features some typical NY props, such as the yellow taxis. Right from the start of the video we can tell by the costumes that there is a superhero theme.

a billboard poster for Kick Ass 2

INTERTEXTUALITY: In the video there are a couple of shots of a poster for the recently released Kick Ass 2 film. An edited version of the song with extra production and sound effects features in the film under the name "Motherquake".

ACT: Nero
TRACK: Reaching Out
YEAR: 2011
DIRECTOR: Unknown
GENRE: Dubstep
AUDIENCE: 15-25 M+F

VIDEO:

the beginning of the video resembles
an 80s tv show opening sequence

original stock footage is used

PERFORMANCE, NARRATIVE AND/OR CONCEPT: This video is purely concept, as there is no performance footage or real narrative. As the song samples a couple of 80's songs, the video heavily references the opening sequences for 80's TV series, such as Miami Vice, and uses original stock footage to build a TV title sequence narrative. The video stars all the members of Nero, as well as lead vocalist Daryl Hall.

transitions like this are used frequently
throughout the video

FX: The video is very heavy with effects, possibly to add to the cheesy 80's feel of the video. Many over the top transitions are used, such as the kaleidoscope effect. The Nero logo often appears layered over shots throughout the video. 

the Nero logo appears in many shots

LOCATION/S + MISE-EN-SCENE: The video is suggestively set in Miami or a similar beach-city, as shots of Miami signs and skyscraper beach hotels are shown all throughout the video. The people shown in the video all have hair and make-up in an 80's style, and so are the costumes.

there is a shot of a Miami sign

EG8- Swedish House Mafia - Greyhound TBC

ACT: Swedish House Mafia
TRACK: Greyhound
YEAR: 2012
DIRECTOR: Unknown
GENRE: House
AUDIENCE: 15-25, M+F

VIDEO



RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISUALS + LYRICS: There is a strong link between the lyrics and the visuals, as the narrative of the video follows a race between three greyhounds. The three greyhounds are controlled by the three members of SHM, and the shots of 

PERFORMANCE STYLE: There is some performance footage even though this is unusual for this genre. We see the 3 members of Swedish House Mafia each with DJ sets playing throughout the whole video.

PACE: At the start of the video, the pace is slow and there is quite a long period before the music actually starts. The pace of the video slowly increases, as the shots are shown for less and less time until there is a drop in the song. 

EG7: M83 - Midnight City TBC

ACT: M83
TRACK: Midnight City
YEAR: 2011
DIRECTOR: Fleur & Manu
GENRE: Synthpop
AUDIENCE: 15-40, M+F

VIDEO:


LYRICS

PERFORMANCE, NARRATIVE AND/OR CONCEPT  - This music video is a concept as there is no direct link between the lyrics and the visuals. The narrative follows a group of children who have special powers and are able to move things with their minds.They escape from a boarding school, and go to an abandoned warehouse to test their powers. 

EG6: Chase & Status - Lost & Not Found

ACT: Chase & Status
TRACK: Lost & Not Found
YEAR: 2013
DIRECTOR: Unknown
GENRE: Drum & Bass
AUDIENCE: 15-25, M+F

VIDEO:


LYRICS

the boy cycles past the poster

PERFORMANCE, NARRATIVE AND/OR CONCEPT: There is one main narrative in this video, but we see the beginning and end result through other people actions and lives. At the beginning, we see a boy cycle past a poster of a missing girl. 

the officer comforts the girl

The main narrative is that the girl who is missing was seemingly kidnapped by a man who is now on the run. We see the police break into his apartment and the police catch him. The girl is found in the apartment and is consoled by a female police officer. The man is taken outside and he

the girl takes the officers gun and
holds her hostage

struggles against the officers holding him. Meanwhile, the girl is hysterically crying as she watches on. Then, the girl steals the female officers gun and holds it to her head, threatening to shoot if the man isn't released. He escapes and goes to an unlocked car, and opens the passenger door for the girl. She still aims the gun as she gets into the car, before speedily driving off. We then cut back to a shot of the boy still on his bicycle, looking confused. He then cycles off before it fades to black.

PERFORMANCE STYLE: There is no performance footage in this music video, and we dont see the artists either. This is quite normal for Chase & Status, and no performance footage is common within the genre also. 

INTERTEXTUALITY: During the beginning 30 seconds of the video, before the music starts, a car drives past playing Blind Faith, another song by Chase & Status.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISUALS + LYRICS: At the beginning there is a brief close-up of a poster with a girls picture, with the caption 'missing', which relates to the title of  the song 'Lost & Not Found'.

REPRESENTATIONS: At first the girl is represented as young, helpless and unable to protect herself. However she goes against the stereotype of a female hostage by turning out to be linked with her captor, and she herself holds someone hostage. 

EG5: Foals - Inhaler

ACT: Foals
TRACK: Inhaler
YEAR: 2012
DIRECTOR: Dave Ma
GENRE: Dance-punk, Indie rock, Alternative Rock
AUDIENCE: 15-40, M+F

VIDEO:


LYRICS 

graffiti

PERFORMANCE, NARRATIVE AND/OR CONCEPT?: Performance is the main theme of the video, and we do see a lot of shot of the band performing, However these shots are intercut with some other shots of various people doing things such as inhaling, dancing, doing graffiti, skateboarding etc. 

the woman getting tattooed

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISUALS + LYRICS: At the beginning of the video we see a woman get a pair of lungs tattooed onto her chest, and then there is a close up her breathing in and out with the tattoo moving. This does relate to the song as it is called Inhaler.

close up shots of instruments

PERFORMANCE STYLE: There is lots of shot variety of the band performing, but the camera is always steady. The lead singer makes eye contact with the camera throughout the video, and this can create a sense of connection with the audience. Also there are often close up shots of the instruments or the band members faces.

the lead singer makes eye contact with
the camera

long shot of the band

PACE + ANY VARIATION OF PACE:  At times when the track is more fast paced, like the chorus, the editing is also faster, and the different shots are shown on screen for a shorter amount of time, and when the song goes back into verse, the editing slows down. This seems to increase the pace of the song more and the audience is even more aware of a change in pace of the song.

EG4: Bastille - Things We Lost in the Fire

ACT: Bastille
TRACK: Things We Lost in the Fire
YEAR: 2013 
DIRECTOR: Unknown
GENRE: Indie Rock
AUDIENCE: 15-40, M+F

VIDEO:


LYRICS

PERFORMANCE, NARRATIVE AND/OR CONCEPT: 
The video style is a narrative, with some lip-syncing by the lead singer. Most of Bastille's music videos are quite cryptic, and this one is no exception. The story seems to centre around a bullet found in a desert, and the narrative jumps between a group of unknown people wandering around the desert, to a love story between the lead singer Dan Smith and a mysterious girl, to a road trip with the band. 

the first narrative

the second narrative

These two narratives interlock, and this can be quite confusing sometimes. The ending is also extremely confusing as there are some shots of the lead singer, which cut to the car with one door open and a large pool of blood coming out, and there are no clues about whose blood it is or why they are injured.

the third narrative

PERFORMANCE STYLE: The only performance in the video is of the lead singer miming, and this isn't frequent throughout the video. He never makes eye contact with the camera whilst singing and at times it doesn't look very realistic. 

the lead singer lip-syncing

The plain setting makes the blood stand out in this shot

one of the many shots of the car

LOCATION/S + MISE-EN-SCENE: This music video was shot in Lithuania, and the bare ground and plain landscape adds to the eeriness of the video. The white bare ground also makes the red blood stand out more in the final shots of the video. 

The car is a big feature of the video as it is shown in all the different narratives and also some shots on its own driving through the desert with an unknown driver, and also stationary with wolves stood on top of it, as well as at the end with a pool of blood.

the sky turns into a bar in this transition effect

FX: Throughout the video there are normal transitions apart from one shot during the middle of the video. The lead singer is clearly stood outside, and he looks up to the pitch black sky, and this then changes to a bar, as the camera shoots forward. There are no more transitions like this in the rest of the video.